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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Thomas Malthus
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argued population growth tends to outrun increase in food supply
1. farmable land is finite 2. men have no predators, but other men |
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1972 population growth study
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argued for possible population collapse in 21st century
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implications of limits to growth
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1. economic growth not necessarily good
2. industrialization not necessarily good 3. human progress may stall or reverse 4. may need to voluntarily accept limits or face collapse |
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cornucopians
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optimistic perspective
1. natural resources are still plentiful, can be recycled 2. the price mechanism signals scarcity of materials, when prices go up people will reduce and recylce |
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technology's impact on limits
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1. enables us to do more with less (auto fuel efficiency)
2. enables us to find substitutes for expensive materials (plastic) |
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technology's impact on pollution
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1. modern industry much less polluting than older industry
ie. new cars much less polluting than old cars |
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population rates now
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growing 75 million per year, but now declining in industrialized world
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fertility rates now
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actually declining in industrialized world (US grows because of immigration)
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food and the green revolution...
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1. improvements and farming have been constant since the middle ages
2.particularly with application of pesticides and fertilizer 3. application lags in africa 4. corn prices have risen due to ethanol use |
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cornicopians vs malthusians
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corns winning so far, but current ag system may not be sustainable
energy demands will increase dramatically global warming could have enormous impact |
